In his long-running and illustrious career, British-born stage and screen actor Jim Dale has performed with the Royal National Theatre, hosted programs on BBC television, been nominated for an Academy Award (as composer of the song "Georgy Girl") and won a Tony Award for best actor in a musical, in Barnum.
But in 1999, Dale first came to the attention of millions of audiobook listeners—many of them children—as narrator of the unabridged recordings of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books produced by Random House Audio/Listening Library. Dale's performance of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000 won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. Even the Queen of England has taken note; Dale recently received an MBE (Member in the Order of the British Empire) honor expressly for "promoting British children's literature in the U.S." To date, sales of the first four Harry Potter audiobooks (all formats combined) have surpassed three million copies, making it the bestselling children's audiobook property of all time.
PW recently spoke with Dale about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, for which the actor spent 29 days (145 hours) in the studio to finish the lengthy recording in time for its June 21 release date [see review, p. 28]. At press time, this fifth title was well on its way to becoming another record-breaker for the audio industry, both in terms of initial print run and also total sales.
PW: How did it feel to go back into the studio with a new Harry Potter book after such a long break? Was it difficult to get back in touch with the characters and material?
Jim Dale: No, it wasn't difficult. It was a joy to get back in touch with the characters. I remember all the voices by recording them as I get to them. I record the first line of dialogue for a particular character so that I keep a catalogue of voices for myself. It was a joy to play the old tapes back after three years' hiatus.
PW: What were the challenges you faced with this book? How was it different than the last one (Goblet of Fire)?
JD: Of course there were all the regular characters [Dale created 125 voices for Goblet of Fire], then about 60 characters from the last book disappeared. So, in Order of the Phoenix there are 134 characters, but more than 60 of them are brand new. The challenge was trying to find new voices and accents. I thought I'd explored them all when I invented five, let alone 100. I have to go instinctively now; the first voice I think of, I go with that. Nobody's complained yet, including J.K. Rowling. She's the one we try to please. I think she may have mentioned once that there were not many Scottish characters, but after all it is an English story with mostly English characters, so I'm somewhat limited to English voices.
PW: Publishing schedules required you to record this book within a short period; how do you keep your energy up with such a time crunch?
JD: You can get exhausted, that's for sure. If a character with a deep or gravelly voice has lots of dialogue during a session, you can lose your own voice. Hagrid, for example, has to be a deep Cornish voice, and that can be a drain. And during my time at home each night, I was not only reading the next hundred pages in preparation but was using my voice to create new voices. I've learned that you don't take too long talking to the dog and you don't answer the phone—friends who want to natter have to wait. It's absolutely essential to preserve all the voice you've got.
PW: What's your reaction to all the hoopla surrounding Phoenix's release? Was it possible to tune all that out? Did it make things tougher for you?
JD: There was bound to be hoopla because children have been waiting three years for the new book. But it's not just book five that people are celebrating; it's the whole Harry Potter series. I think the Harry Potter saga is one of the most important things to ever happen in children's literature and children's audiobooks. Something this powerful will last for generations to come and will grow. It's really a fantastic event in the history of publishing.
As for things being tougher, I only wish we had more time. If you know something's going to be around for a long time and millions of people are going to listen to it, you want it to be your best. But there was no time; we were up against a deadline. As a stage actor, I feel some frustration—I feel that my performance could have been more polished, that I could have rehearsed more. But we actors always feel that way! I have to settle for doing my best under the deadlines, having only read the material the night before.
PW: Congratulations on your M.B.E. What was your reaction to receiving this honor specifically for your work on the Harry Potter books?
JD: Thank you. Isn't it lovely? If you want to know my reaction, only the dog can tell you that because he was the only one home at the time. But I can tell you that the dog's eyes opened wide when he saw how I reacted. It was outrageous; I couldn't control myself. It's such a special honor—only an Englishman can understand.
PW: What's coming up next for you?
JD: I have two or three projects that I'm looking forward to. Two things have been offered, but until the contracts are actually signed it could fall through. It's bad luck to talk about it before then. And I'll be keeping October free for a trip to Buckingham Palace. I suppose I'll have to get a morning suit and a big ascot. "What shall I wear?" was the first thing my wife said when I told her.
